Earlier this month we learnt that former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davis was creating a new television special called A Very English Scandal – and now we know that a rather famous actor will be heading up the cast, in the form of Hugh Grant.

"Hugh is one our most iconic British actors — sharp, witty, deeply human and nuanced — and to have him play one of the most controversial figures of British politics is utterly thrilling," said the show's executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins.

"With Russell T Davies writing and Stephen Frears directing, A Very English Scandal unites the highest level of talent to bring this extraordinary true story to life."

A Very English Scandal is set in the late 1960s, when homosexuality was newly decriminalised in England.

The real-life, three-part story focuses on the then-leader of the Liberal party Jeremy Thorpe, who years earlier had a fling with a man named Norman Scott — a fact that was kept secret and, if revealed, would surely end his political career.

"As long as his ex-lover Scott is around, Thorpe's brilliant career is at risk," reads a description of the show. "Thorpe schemes and deceives — until he can see only one way to silence Scott for good.

"The trial of Thorpe changed society forever, illuminating the darkest secrets of the establishment. The Thorpe affair revealed such breathtaking deceit and corruption that, at the time, hardly anyone dared believe it could be true."